Expanding on
God and Art
Pomegranate, Charcoal Pencil
Art, A Biblical Perspective
Although the terms art (13C) and artist (1581 A.D.) came into usage long after the Bible was written, references to both were evident in Exodus 31:1-11 (KJV):
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, see, I have called by name Bezaleel… I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab… and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee: the tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony… and all the furniture of the tabernacle… and the altar… and the holy garments for Aaron the priest… according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
God had gifted Bezaleel with the ability to work in many media. First, Bezaleel was an artist who worked in metals, in gold, silver, and brass. Secondly, he worked with stones–cutting them and setting them. Thirdly, Bezaleel was a wood carver, and performed all types of woodworking. Clearly, this artist, Bezaleel, was a gifted artist whose skill and cunning works (ingenuity) were unsurpassed. Therefore, Bezaleel was the artist chosen by God to create for the tabernacle. God provided another artist, Aholiab, to assist Bezaleel. Together, they were commissioned to make all that God had commanded of Moses: The tabernacle of the congregation and all of its furniture, the ark of the testimony, the altar, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest–a huge undertaking.
Also in Exodus, it is written that God commissioned the embroidery of pomegranates on the priest’s robe in the colors of blue, purple, and scarlet:
And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet… (Exodus 28:33 KJV)
In nature, pomegranates are purple and scarlet, but they are not blue. The fact that God commissioned blue pomegranates is evidence that He viewed them from an abstract point of view, altering their natural color in the embroidered representation on the priest’s robe from His vantage point as an abstract visual artist.
A New Revelation of God
I had initially experienced exhilaration when I realized that beyond being the creator of the universe, that God is creative–an artist, and that we are creative because He is creative. This is an exciting revelation for the visual artist. We are free to fully express our God-given creativity, knowing that the creator whose spirit fills us with Himself has also ordained that we imitate Him–and for the visual artist, this means creatively. Visual art is a valid means that we may use to worship Him and to draw others to Him.
But now I had an exciting new revelation: God is a visual artist, an architect and interior designer who had an aesthetic vision for the building and furnishing of the tabernacle. He commissioned visual artists to execute His vision, and He also commissioned an abstract representation of pomegranates to be embroidered on the priest’s robe. He set the precedent for artistic expression. It is not mandatory that artworks be representational, or even functional. Art can be created for sheer enjoyment!
You may be asking how this has escaped you all these years. How is it that you didn’t know this. Why hasn’t this been taught in the church. I, too, wondered about this. I cannot answer these questions, but I do know that we are being changed by knowing this now. Never again will we relegate the visual arts to a back seat, or no seat at all, in our lives. No longer will we push the visual arts aside, ignoring their important and proper place for our God and ourselves. Never again will we accept music as the predominant (or only) art form in our churches and our homes. As powerful as music is in our worship, the visual arts are powerful as well, another means that we may use to worship God and to draw others to Him.
For a long time, you may have been curious about the origin of your own creativity and God’s view of the visual arts. You may have been attracted to abstract art as well, but didn’t know if you should embrace it. Perhaps you were am admirer of representational artworks exclusively, believing that art is only valid if the depiction has a strong likeness to its subject. Now you see that abstract art is valid, too. The precedent set by God for the validity of abstract art provides you with an open door to explore abstraction. A new world is being opened to you and you are free to explore it… to enjoy it.
Like my former university colleagues and art history students who attended the exhibition of my mixed media drawings, inspired by my scriptural research, entitled “Homage to Bezaleel” and “Pomegranate Studies,” your response to abstract artwork may be rapt attention, interest, and curiosity. The drawings that they viewed caused them to contemplate and discuss God’s intention for art, artists, themselves, and my art in particular. Some were excited to learn that God had commissioned Bezaleel, and artist who God, Himself, had gifted with the ability to work in many media. Others were astonished that God used the abstraction of pomegranates as embroidered embellishment on the temple garments. We had just completed a chapter on abstract art and I was able, as a result of this timely exhibition, in a university setting, to speak of abstract art and God in the same breath. Now that is exciting! Some expressed that they desired to further explore the subject on their own. I have known many artists who are curious about the correlation of their artistic pursuits and their spirituality. It has long been my prayer, and nothing pleases me more, than that my artwork cause the attention of the viewer to turn to God and, ultimately, to come to know Him. On this particular occasion, my artwork provided the spark that caused some viewers to contemplate the creativity of God. They began to see Him in a new way, as a creative artist, Himself, and one who commissioned artists to work both representationally and abstractly. In order to fulfill His purposes in building and furnishing the temple, God ordained and commissioned artists to execute His creative, artistic vision. What could be better news to artists than this!
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